Oak Ridge Today

City officials clash over Secret City Festival spending costs

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Rick Springfield at Secret City Festival

The Rick Springfield concert at the Secret City Festival in June was the largest ever for the annual festival, an organizer said.

Debate over the costs of the Secret City Festival—and whether the city can afford a $160,000 “party” every year—was briefly renewed again on Monday.

The sometimes-rancorous debate came up as the Oak Ridge City Council considered whether to approve two resolutions laying the financial foundation for the June 2014 festival.

Early in the debate, Oak Ridge City Council member Trina Baughn moved to reallocate the Secret City Festival money and use it instead for a school resource officer in each middle school, or two SROs total.

But Council member Charlie Hensley said Baughn was essentially asking the city to take money it would collect from festival sponsors and use it instead for SROs.

“I think that’s fraudulent,” Hensley said. [Read more…]

Picture: BMX bike winner announced from Secret City Festival

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Secret City Festival BMX Winner

Manderley Swain won a BMX bike on Saturday, June 22, at the annual Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. Pictured above are Manderley (left) and her son (right).

ORCVB budget cut: No layoffs, focusing on more events, weekend stays

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Secret City Festival Kickoff 2012

The Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau is one of three organizations that present the annual Secret City Festival. ORCVB President Katy Brown is pictured above, fifth from right, at the opening ceremonies for the 2012 festival along with other state and local officials.

Its budget has been cut 25 percent, but there will be no layoffs at the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Instead, the four-person staff will focus on attracting more weekend visitors to the Secret City and bringing in more events, possibly including those that generate fees. The organization could “own more events,” ORCVB President Katy Brown said, and rely on more grassroots efforts. That could include using more social media and travel writers.

“It’s going to be a shift,” Brown said Monday after the Oak Ridge City Council approved—in a voice vote with no opposition—a new one-year $300,000 contract for the ORCVB, the city’s main tourism organization. The funding is down from $410,000 last year. [Read more…]

Secret City Festival videos available on Fire Department’s YouTube page

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Secret City Festival Children's Area

This year’s Secret City Festival included expanded areas for children and the Oak Ridge Fire Department, among other changes.

You can now revisit all the fun and excitement of the 2013 Secret City Festival by visiting the Oak Ridge Fire Department’s You Tube page, a press release said.

During the recent festival in June, several hours of footage were collected of the Fire Department zip line and water play areas, and they have now been formatted into short video clips. You can view these clips at www.youtube.com/oakridgefd.

The videos were shot and produced by ORFD Capt. Jason Benjamin, who is also an accomplished actor, producer, and award-winning screen writer, the press release said. [Read more…]

Organizers could consider separate weekends for Secret City, Lavender festivals

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Crowd at Secret City Festival

Thousands of people enjoy the Secret City Festival each year, including the Friday and Saturday night concerts.

Most years, the Secret City and Lavender festivals fall on the same weekend in June.

This year, due to the way they’re scheduled, the two festivals landed on separate weekends. And that gave organizers an opportunity to see how the festivals would do on separate weekends.

[Read more…]

Parks director explains change from WWII re-enactments to ‘living history’ at Secret City Festival

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World War II Re-enactment at Secret City Festival

The Secret City Festival has previously included one of the largest World War II re-enactments in the South, pictured above, but organizers changed this year to a “Salute to Soldiers” program. (Archive photo)

It had been one of the largest World War II re-enactments in the South, featuring close to 200 people in a dozen 1940s-era vehicles at the annual Secret City Festival.

An estimated 5,000 to 7,000 spectators watched the two mock battles at Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge each year as British and American forces fought and defeated German military personnel.

But this year, the two-day festival did not include the re-enactments. They were replaced by a new “Salute to Soldiers” program that featured World War II living history activities and demonstrations. That program included period military camps, vehicles, equipment, and demonstrations, as well as educational displays. [Read more…]

Rick Springfield concert the largest ever for Secret City Festival

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Rick Springfield at Secret City Festival

The Rick Springfield concert at the Secret City Festival on Saturday was the largest ever for the annual festival, an organizer said.

The Rick Springfield concert at the Secret City Festival on Saturday night was the largest ever for the annual two-day festival, an organizer said.

Final numbers weren’t available Saturday night, but total ticket sales could be somewhere around 3,000, said Joye Montgomery, head of entertainment and tickets and the Secret City Festival representative for the Arts Council of Oak Ridge.

“This is the biggest concert ever,” Montgomery said. [Read more…]

Secret City Festival continues today, ends with Rick Springfield concert

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The Dirty Guv'nahs at Secret City Festival

The Dirty Guv’nahs played at the Friday night concert at the Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge, and Rick Springfield will perform tonight.

The two-day Secret City Festival started yesterday and continues today.

See this Secret City Festival website page for an events schedule. The schedule includes links to the entertainment schedule; youth, children’s, and toddlers’ games and entertainment; and World War II living history demonstrations, a new feature this year.

The festival ends tonight with a concert by Rick Springfield and Casey Abrams from “American Idol.” See www.secretcityfestival.com for more information, or see this previous story on Oak Ridge Today for a summary of events.

Sustainability group will form large ‘350’ with people at Secret City Festival today

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Secret City Sustainability, a student-led initiative to promote divestment from fossil fuels, is having an event at the Secret City Festival at 2 p.m. today. They are going to make a large “350” with people to signify the organization 350.org.

The organization was founded by Bill McKibben, a leading environmental activist who will be coming to speak at the Oak Ridge High School Auditorium on Aug. 18. The students are trying to get the word out about his talk by forming a “350” in the grass.

Secret City Festival features ‘something for everyone’

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Homemade Wine Band

The Homemade Wine Band played after the Friday morning opening ceremony at the Secret City Festival.

The annual Secret City Festival started today, and it features Manhattan Project bus tours and history displays, World War II living history activities and demonstrations, arts and crafts and antiques dealers, food vendors and exhibitors, a children’s festival area and youth events, and a car show and concerts.

“Join more than 20,000 visitors and residents to celebrate the end of World War II and the heritage of Oak Ridge from 1945 to the present,” a press release said.

Oak Ridge was built during World War II as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project, a federal program to build the world’s atomic bombs, and the festival celebrates the city’s heritage.

Festival organizers have provided an overview of some of the many activities and events taking place at this year’s festival:
 [Read more…]

Secret City Festival announces return of ‘Kid City Circuit’

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For the second year in a row, Oak Ridge has been named a Playful City and is proud to announce the return of the Kid City Circuit to the children’s area of the Secret City Festival. Playful City USA is a nationally recognized program honoring cities and towns that make play a priority and use innovative programs to get children active, playing, and healthy.

Because the Secret City Festival is focused on community unity and children’s and family activities are such a big part of the festival, organizers are excited about the return of this festival favorite. [Read more…]

Secret City Festival announces new concert security measures

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James T. Akagi

James T. Akagi

The Secret City Festival will have tighter security at the Friday and Saturday night concerts this year, and visitors could experience a few delays as organizers try to make the shows safer, a press release said.

No backpacks or coolers will be allowed into the concert site, and all bags will be subject to search, the release said.

“In light of recent events, we’re being extra vigilant in our protection of our attendees, staff, and the community during the festival concerts,” Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi said. [Read more…]